Question- If the bowls have to attach on the inside and the water bowl can't be a rabbit type deal, what's the point in putting water in there? It would seem to me it would all spill out... is there a solution to this?

Also, do they require you to attach food to the kennel if the flight is only about 8 hours and there's only one stop?

Unfortunately, we're going to have to go with the most affordable airline. Money's super tight, we're expecting, and Hurley's lucky he has a mommy that's moving him across the country with her instead of just taking him to the pound! But if issues with continental are mainly heat related, I shouldn't be too worried correct? We're going to wait until October at least. We are in a desert (Southern CA) and the stop to DC is usually Texas, another desert. So we're not taking any chances.

Hurley is crate trained, he's very comfortable in "his room". But he WILL bark. He may act distressed, not because of being in the crate, just all the people.

When strangers come into our home, it just takes him a few mintues to stop barking at them. (Most people are afraid at first and ask me if he bites). After the first few minutes of sounding like he wants to kill them he usually goes and finds his big red kong ball to show off to them and acts like he's their new best friend lol. But at the airport with so many new people, I don't think he'll calm down that fast...

Hopefully the guys at the airport will be understanding. Just worried cuz his barks do sound threatening. I've never understood why Hurley does this, he's the sweetest dog. Wouldn't hurt a fly. I think he just gets over excited or he wants to act like a big tough dog lol and I've never really known how to train it out of him :/

Thanks! Also, as I'm doing a bit of googling... I notice a lot of airlines state that they won't accept any animal that is exhibitiing aggressive behavior.

Now, Hurley isn't aggressive by any means but he does have a slight problem with giving people the impression that he is. He barks at strangers. He doesn't bite or growl or snarl but his barks are very... mean sounding.

I don't know where you're supposed to drop dogs off to be shipped but I'm afraid if it's in a busy area with lotts of people, he'll make a scene.

Because of this, I thought about maybe asking his vet for a mild sedative but as I continue my googling, lol, the airlines also state they won't accept sedated dogs. :/

Thanks so much for your quick response, all that info was really helpful.

Checked out Pet Airways, holy crap! His ticket would be over $1,000! I think Hurley will just have to wait till October haha.

Do you know if vets charge for a regular office visit for this "health certificate" the airport needs? Hurley just had his annual exam not even 6 months ago, I would hate to have to shell out another $50 for a darn certificate...

I do have his rabies certificate somewhere in my files but he isn't current with any other vaccines, do they need anything other than proof of rabies?

Hello, not sure if this is the right place for this but how much would it cost to ship a 50 lb. dog alone from california to maryland? And how would one go about this?

Hurley would be flying with me (well, he'd be in cargo) because I'm told it's much cheaper this way but I'll be leaving in August and airlines won't let dogs fly in the heat so Hurly will have to stay down here with my mom and she'll ship him to me probably sometime in october when it's cooler.

We have NO CLUE what to do or what to expect... Do you just show up at the airport with the dog? Or is this more of a planned out thing?

I haven't been on Dogster for months but maybe a few of you will remember me ...I've never flown and have no idea how airports work. Hurley and I will be moving from CA all the way to MD in Jan. I'm totally clueless and we'll be on our own. I'm afraid I'm going to have a panic attack in the middle of the airport lol. I'm usually very high anxiety in these types of situations so I can only imagine... Haha. Any advice? From prices to transfers to rules, I know absolutely nothing so anything will help. Thanks a lot! It seems so overwhelming...

Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do in that area. I don't have any friends who would be willing to do that sort of thing for me and I don't have any extra money right now. My sister is able to go over and let him potty once in the middle of my 8 hour shifts. Thankfully for Hurley, I don't have many 8-hr work days.

We have made a little progress though!

He is now no longer whining/barking when I return home. The only down side? I have no idea how long it takes him to stop. Too long for me to just wait and listen outside the door... I'm thinking maybe an hour? And the loud ear piercing yelps have now turned into soft whimpers and occasional barks.

He is now playing with his kong in the crate, the peanut butter was finally gone yesterday and today. No more peeing on himself either!

I'm hoping this is just a matter of getting used to being alone and not true SA.

I bought some Melatonin today but I noticed it is a melatonin/L-theanine combo. Is the L-theanine safe for dogs? What dose is good and how long before leaving for work do I give it to him? It is in the pill form. The one's I got are 3 mg Melatonin and 25 mg L-theanine.

I live in a desert, so the ground gets pretty darn hot. I bought Hurley some booties but when we were walking he was acting distressed and like he was going to pass out early on in the walk so I took them off and he instantly felt better. I googled it and I guess dogs cool off with the pads of their feet somehow?

Why would they sell a product like this, meant to help dogs, if in actuality it can seriously harm them???

Confused...

Is this correct information and has anyone had this experience with them?